Donating Milk

[JollyOrangeGiant]

Does anyone do it? With DC1 I had serious oversupply. I had to wear breastpads and woke up in a puddle of milk every night until he was 9mo. I could also leak 6oz from the left breast while feeding from the right.

Last time there were no milk banks around here, but they've recently extended to our area so I'm considering donating milk after I have DC2 in August.

Does anyone donate? How does it work? Will I need a big freezer? Do they expect a minimum/maximum amount? How often would I need to pump?

Thanks in advance!

[LovingKent]

Hi Jolly. Can't speak from experience but there is loads of information on the United Kingdom Association of Milk Banking about donating - sorry can't link from phone

[LovingKent]

www.ukamb.org/donating-milk/

[LikeCandy]

I have my first 'donation' in the freezer waiting for collection!
My experience so far:

You need to contact your donor centre and someone will come out to you or you'll be sent information & forms to fill in about yourself / yor lifestyle.
No more than 3 caf drinks a day or 2 units of alcohol a week. No smokers or drug takers accepted.

You will need a blood test - similar rules to giving blood about what would mean you aren't suitable to donate.

They will take milk from after 6w, ie after your own feeding is well established.

They provide sterile bottles, you provide everything else.
Strict hygiene rules apply, you fill in a chart about hand washing/sterilising etc. all milk is tested for bacteria and can't be used if contaminated in any way at all.

You need to record the temperature of your freezer daily, it needs to be around -19c, and you're given stickers to our on the bottles with your name/info on, and you record the date/time of expression. If you plan to express daily you'll need room for 14 bottles (about the size of small baby bottles, I think they're 120ml)

You can donate as much/little as you can, and they collect here every other week.

The only issue I am having at the moment is that 6w/o DD1 is an eating machine and I'm not getting chance to express because she's feeding so frequently. I'm sure that'll settle though!

Good luck with it!

[EauRouge]

If the milk bank don't want your milk for some reason then there are informal milk sharing sites like Human Milk for Human Babies. They have a facebook page if you're on there.

[Victoria2002]

Looks like likecandy has given you all the details, but just to say I donated for 6m to the breast milk bank at queen charlottes (London) and once you fill in a lengthy form and do the blood test (they mailed me the test kit and I took it to the nurse at my GP who did it and returned it), it was very easy. They send voulenteer motorbike couriers to fetch the milk every time you reach 2L and they send you bottles, personalised labels and a thermometer etc. It is a great way of giving something back to the health service and the babies and parents who are not as lucky as those of us with healthy babies-well done

[SmellsLikeWeenSpirits]

I did it last year when bf. I didn't have to have a blood test, just give them permission to contact my dr for the result of te last blood test I had during pregnancy

Then they send me a box if sterile bottles, I'd pump in the morning, pop te bottle in the freezer and when I had a big batch they sent a lovely nan on a motorbike to collect it

It was dead easy. Done via Oxford ( my nearest although about an hour away) contacted them through the link above

Do it. It gives you a gear sense of well being :)

[SmellsLikeWeenSpirits]

Gosh, icandy, I didn't have to do any charts or measuring the freezer either

[JollyOrangeGiant]

Thank you so much everyone. I shall probably contact my milk bank in advance, then see how breastfeeding goes and get set up after that.

I was throwing milk out last time as there was so much spare, so I would definitely like to donate this time if BFing works out.

(Despite BFing DS for 20mo I'm still nervous about how it will go this time!)